Tympanic Membrane Perforation

A tympanic membrane perforation is a hole in the eardrum. It can be caused by:

Trauma

Things stuck in the ear (cotton swab, bobby pin, pencil, etc.)

Getting slapped on the ear

Being close to an explosion

Repeated ear infections (acute otitis media)

A severe ear infection. The pressure of the pus behind the eardrum causes it to rupture.

Patients with a hole in the eardrum can develop chronic ear infections (chronic otitis media). This is caused by drainage from the ear canal (otorrhea). It can slowly wear away the middle ear ossicles, leading to permanent hearing loss.

The rate of successful eardrum hole repair is 90-95 percent. The surgery’s success rate is better if the ear is dry and uninfected. The success rate is lower if your child has had a previous tympanoplasty that did not work. Complete repair is not possible in children with poor Eustachian tube function.